taking care of a 20 gallon fish tank?

Question

so ive spent a nice long time sifting through a ton of crap on a ton of sites to get nothing i need to know.

i got a 20 gallon fish tank for christmas. it comes with a whisper filter and crap like that.

i love the fish tank, but i dont want it if i need to do maintance on it. so far ive found out, i have to tcheck the water and chemicals, and i have to clean my filter, and i have to clean the water apparently....

on this instruction manual tthing it says "the filter cartidge should be changed once per month to prevent backflow and avoid filtration problems resulting from a clogged filter cartidge" so does that mean i have to spend money on a new cartirdge every month? how much are those?

what are other mainatance do i have to do? how much are little kits? how the hell am i supposed to adjust the water so its healthy for the fish? how the hell am i supposed to clean this tank? what the heck is a gravel vaccuum? im not buying a stupid fish vacuum so i can suck up poop from the grav

i want to say thank you to everyone that gave me great information. and that site someone linked..first tankguide.. that is a very good site.

im not really a fish person... but just something makes me want this fish tank. i think itd be really cool and nice, but i just am not really sure if im up for the responsibility. i didnt know everything was so cheap though (as far as kepeing up with the maintaince, like buying the cartidges and etc)

i didnt list what time of fish cause i dont know yet.

just really debating if i want it or not... i got nice new bed sheets and everything, and the tank is on my computer desk and itd be so nice to lay down and just watch the fish lol

Answer 1

If you don't want to do the maintenance or spend the extra money than the fish tank isn't going to be the gift for you.
I'll start with your first question.

1. Yes you have to buy a new cartridge every month. They usually cost about 2-3 dollars.
2. You'll have to change about 20% of the water out once a month, (or more if your tank has chemical imbalances or is overstocked (too many fish)).
3. You change the water using a gravel vacuum, which is an inexpensive siphon you could buy at PetSmart for 6 dollars. You don't have to take out all of the water, just 25%- and add fresh water.
4. The little kits are about 10-12 dollars, and they have 25 strips you can use to test the water and make sure the nitrates/nitrites (bad leftover stuff the waste breaks down into) ph ammonia (etc) stay low and safe for your fish. At the beginning you should test your tank about once a week.
5. To make sure the water is safe for your fish, you can add a water conditioner, such as prime or stresscoat. This gets rid of all of the chorines and heavy metals for your water and makes it safe for your fish.

I wish you a lot of luck- It's a really fun hobby, but if you're not fully into it, then I don't think I would go for it. You'll end up getting frustrated and if you get behind in the maintenance your tank can go downhill too.

Below is a step by step process I found really helpful.

Answer 2

Hi godworks700, from the tone of your question you sound unimpressed by your present & to use your expression-yes you will be doing a ton of maintenance & crap like that to keep fish happy. However, I do sympathise with you-when I started out I found many of the sites I looked at to be giving completely different advice.

You don't say what type[s] of fish you're thinking about but typically you will need to be doing weekly partial water changes, adding dechlor [more money] to this water, testing your water parameters [yet more expense on test kits] this essential maintenance may well take up to 2 hours per week. The gravel vacuum [which also costs money] is not just there to annoy you-it performs a vital function-remember that by definition a pet fish has to live in his own toilet, if you were confined to a small area permanently you would be very thankful for someone to perform this service for you.

Additionally if you haven't already got them you will need a fitted lid for the tank, gravel, gravel siphon, new buckets, additional decor etc etc-all costing money......then need you still have to buy the fish!

You don't say what type of filter you have but typically the manufacturers recommendations for media replacement are wildly inaccurate & geared largely to making you part with your money rather than any benefit to your fish because 'old' filter material has established colonies of good bugs that help keep your tank free from toxins. so in this instance you will actually save money but all in all I don't think you are really a fish person so have a think about everything-if you decide to go ahead then fine & but if you don't think it is for you then a brand new, unused tank & kit will tract a lot more on eBay or Craigslist than one that has been used!

Bottom line is if you are not prepared to invest the effort & money into your fish then they will die.

Answer 3

Maintaining a single 20 gallon is easy, about 1/2 hour maintenance weekly once you get used to it, which doesn't take long.

Look into fishless cycling, start with some easy to keep livebearers. Change 20% of the water weekly, with a gravel vac. Filter companies love people who change filter cartridges, they make money that way. Rinse that cartridge in used tank water, and put it back in, they last longer than you are told. Use a quality watwer treatment such as Prime or Aquasafe, don't ever try adjusting your pH, and use plain tap water with water conditioner for water changes.

I have seven 20 gallon tanks running in my breeding setup atm, along with everything else. I do maintenance on a 20 in about 6 minutes.

Answer 4

well filters for a whisper filter can range from a cheap 3 dollar single pack to 15 for mutiple pacts, you'll need to go to a petstore and see which filter you need, if you get fresh water fish you will only need to change the filter a few times during the entire year. If you don't overcrowd your aqaurium and you get nongoldfish type of fish you may go months without haveing to use the gravel vaccum you will have to sometimes.
once a tank is established for a few months it stays very clean with the right number of fish. you can't just set it up and never maintain it. It soulds like someone got you a set, try selling it online thru the craigs list. I never adjusted the water you just allow the tank to sit with waterin it for a few days before getting any fish and add water conditioner which is about 3.99 and it last for a while. but overall you sound like you don't want fish If I where you I'd just sell it or find the store it came from and return it.
And if you set it up and don't clean the fish it will stink up your house and the water can because a nasty brown foanmy mess.

Answer 5

....if you don't want to take care of your fish.... maybe you should find a different pet.

a gravel vacuum is very important, as is testing the water and adjusting your water. Test kit prices vary, you can get the expensive accurate test tube tests, or the cheep test strips. You can buy things that will adjust the pH, and to get rid of nitrates and nitrites, you need to change the water (this is where the vacuum comes in).

you will need to change the filter media, its not very expensive, and is really going to be only one of many reoccurring costs of operating a fish tank.

to get gunk of the glass and things you can buy an algae scrubber. Be prepared to to continual, weekly mantinence on your tank.

if you didn't already know this stuff from your 'sifting through a ton of sites' you did a very bad job, and were not looking in the right places.

Answer 6

You most likely will end up with a lot of dead fish and become very unhappy. Not being able to phone or go to a pet store for simple pricing is the first clue.

Give the tank to Goodwill

Answer 7

SAMANTHA said it best.
Don't you have to do daily maintanance on yourself to survive??Well,it's not hard work buddy,grow a SACK,ya sook.
as a general rule you should change 25%water a fortnight.Wash/change filter media just as regularly.&just vacume up the **** a little,as simple as that(not forgetting appropriate testsing&balancing ph,nitrate,amonia ect)

Answer 8

I don't think you are ready for the responsibility,Grasshopper. Sell the tank and buy a rock,they're very easy to take care of.